Social Media and Politics: Examining Indonesians' Political Knowledge on Facebook

Abstract

The Internet and social media have played a significant role in contemporary political sphere of Indonesia. In particular, they have been widely used for political activism and discussion; but whether the discussions are constructive is another issue. Constructive political discussion requires several preconditions; one of the most important requirements is rational reasoning. Citizens must be equipped with some degree of political knowledge and competency to provide reasonable arguments and justifications in discussions. The primary objective of this paper is to examine the level of political knowledge of Indonesian Facebookers regarding corruption which is currently a serious issue in Indonesia. An online survey was conducted among the most active users of an anti-corruption Facebook group of Indonesians. The results of the study generally suggested that the participants were well informed about the current affairs of their society and showed a high level of political knowledge in terms of the Corruption Eradication Commission and also the incumbent politicians; however, the results indicated a low level of knowledge regarding laws and regulations surrounding corruption as well as the issues related to the former politicians.